Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meet journalists after their talks in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 31, 2016.
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“But at the same time, I think it’s fair to say that in the last three years, I think things are going backwards unfortunately”, he told reporters during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to Beijing this week.
Justin Trudeau has announced plans to apply for a controversial new worldwide infrastructure bank led by China – an initiative Ottawa insists will provide a boost to global and Canadian growth.
Prime Minister Trudeau vowed that the Canadian new government will continue the friendship tradition with China.
Harper, to his credit, personally brought up the cases of two Canadian citizens imprisoned in China – the Uyghur religious leader Huseyin Celil and Kevin Garratt, imprisoned on trumped-up espionage charges.
Dockage is the amount of foreign material such as weeds, considered acceptable in Canada’s canola exports to China.
The most notable topic that will be discussed in the Canadian PM’s visit to China is Beijing’s plan to impose stricter inspection standards for canola imports that come from China.
The Canadian prime minister is accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregorie Trudeau and daughter Ella-Grace, as well as a government delegation that includes Foreign Minister Stephane Dion, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
China, the world’s new economic superpower, sees the dawn of a new Trudeau era in Canada as a “new opportunity” to strengthen ties between the two countries, Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui said in an interview last week.
The multilateral institution, seen as a rival to the Western-dominated World Bank and Asian Development Bank, was initially opposed by the United States but attracted many U.S. allies including Britain, Germany, Australia and South Korea.
A poll for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada think-tank released on Monday showed that while 46 percent of Canadians supported a free trade treaty with China, only 11 percent backed investment by Chinese state-owned enterprises.
“Any economic strategy that ignores China, or that treats that valuable relationship as anything less than critically important, is not just short-sighted, it’s irresponsible”, Trudeau said.
Trudeau’s governing Liberals are largely delivering on a pledge to place China at the center of Canada’s trade diplomacy.
Garratt’s family said in a statement released by their Beijing-based lawyers they were “extremely frustrated and disappointed” by the lack of progress in securing his release.
However, the poll also revealed that fewer Canadians believe the human rights situation in China is improving.
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Officials say they also need to take into account Canadians’ hesitation about closer links with China.
